Gibson and Fender Marketing Mix

Gibson and Fender Marketing Mix Introduction 1.1. Background A guitar is an indispensable musical instrument for playing a variety of music, such as jazz and pop music. Because of Chinese economy grows and an increasing number of consumers interest in music develops, China is becoming an essential market for guitar companies. Most guitar users own at least one guitar which can provide them their favorite tones. For the demand for different types of guitar making dissimilar tones, there are many producers that have been manufacturing guitars for a number of years such as Ibanez and ESP. However, the two quality makers, Gibson and Fender, stated by Gearpipe (2007), have the best sales volume at a high price. Gibson Guitar Corp (2010 a) mentions that Gibson is an American establishment which began in 1904 whose main product is electric guitar. Another leading guitar company is Fender. According to Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (2010 a), Fender began in 1946 in The USA which is not only adept at making electric guitars, but electric basse s and other products as well. 1.2. Theory 1.2.1. Market Segmentation All about economic on the web (2010) shows that as peoples different needs and wants, market segmentation is becoming increasing stable for business. The definition of market segmentation is dividing a market into a number of sub-markets based on some sort of particular features. 1.2.2. Marketing Mix According to Hall et al (2008), marketing mix is the elements of a market which are designed to satisfy consumers needs and wants. There are basically four Ps of marketing mix. The four Ps are product, price, promotion and place. 1.3. Aims There are three aims of this report. The initial one is to analyze the market segmentation of Gibson and Fender for Chinese consumers and comparing the marketing mix from different angles in the findings part. Moreover, evaluating and comparing these two firms from both positive and negative ways is another target in the discussion. Finally, recommendations in the conclusion show suggestions of development for Gibson and Fender companies in China. Findings 2.1. Market Segmentation The market segmentation of Gibson should be guitar players who are affluent and interested in old fashion music. Gibson Guitar Corp (2010 b) demonstrates that Gibson guitars are much more expansive than its competitors. In addition, Gibson electric guitars are almost all be designed in the same style which can often attract buyers who are the big fans of old fashion style. Fender mainly aims at attracting electric guitar and bass players who are wealthy and crazy about nowadays music. Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (2010 b) shows that its products are costly which are designed in an extremely popular style with modern tone. 2.2. Marketing Mix 2.2.1. Product Gibson is a world-wide guitar company. According to Gibson Guitar Corps (2010 c) demonstration, the major product of this company, undeniably, is the electric guitar. The Gibson Les Paul and the Gibson SG are the most salable and classical types of product that are always in the same shape with limited colors. Gibson targets guitar players who play heavy metal. Therefore, the tone of Gibson electric guitars sounds highly heavy and quite suitable for performing heavy metal. Guitarz (2008) introduces that the famous lead guitar player Angus Young who was playing in a heavy metal band, ACDC, is using a guitar made by Gibson. Fender is also a well-running guitar establishment. Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (2010 c) explains that despite the electric guitar, Fender is also well-known for other products such as modern styles electric basses and amplifiers. Fender has been trying to make its products can be used to play jazz, blues and pop-rock. Thus it is found that Fender guitars tone is awfully soft and clean. An example of musician who is using Fender to play pop music is Eric Johnson (Eric Johnson, N.D.). 2.2.2. Price By analyzing data from Smarter (2010), Price of Gibson merchandise is frequently higher than other guitar producers. The same as Gibson, Fender products cost consumers considerably. Undoubtedly, with such a high price, the quality of products from these two businesses is usually better than other companies for their unique technique. However, Gibson and Fender not only make high quality guitars to the rich. Both of them own subsidiary companies (Squier and Epiphone) for making lower-quality guitars for green hands playing guitar and who find that it is difficult to afford the guitars which are completely pricey(Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, 2010 d; Gibson Guitar Corp, 2010 d). 2.2.3. Promotion Gibson Company has only one effective major promotion that is product endorsement by asking famous rock stars to use its guitars. One example is, Gibson Guitar Corp (2010 e) states that Slash Les Paul which is shown in the picture is designed for a famous rock guitar player, Slash. This is such an impactful measure to promote Slashs fans to buy this guitar. (Gibson Guitar Corp, 2010 f) Similarly, Fender promotes in the same way. For instance, in the picture, there is Roger Waters Precision Bass which is a late-model electric bass of Fender that is named for a celebrated bass player, Roger Waters and recommending his fans to spend money on this bass (Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, 2010 e). What is more, Fender Centre (N.D.) reported that Fender frequently do public relations for promotion such as donates to poor children which is such a nice way to obtain public approval. (Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, 2010 f) 2.2.4. Place Selling place for Gibson and Fender are not even slightly different. There are mainly to locations types are involved. Firstly, is provision of products to retailers so that consumers can buy them which are displayed in musical stores. However, in China, there are few musical stores selling their products. As a result, another approach is to sell their merchandise online which is a convenient shortcut for customers who live in places where musical shop do not exist. Their online shops are available on their respective web-site. Discussion Comparing the market segmentation, Gibson pays mass attention on making guitars providing to metal and hard-rock players who fancy old style. The obviously edge is that Gibson can manufacture professional electric guitars to win more market share. However, Changing of fashion or other factors may cause a sharp decline of demand. By contrast, Fender is radically different. It has been making diverse musical equipments for an amount of fanciers of jazz, blues and pop-rock who are following the up to date fashion. The vantage is the problems caused by diversification of consumers taste and popularity will never be faced. A serious drawback is making the market over-broad. Further, the marketing mix is analogous between these two companies instead of their products considering their distinctive brand culture causing characteristic products. Additionally, Fender might achieve more public praise for its effort to public relations. Conclusion 4.1. Recommendations Although Gibson and Fender have obtained a high market share and public praise, it is still necessary to have further improvement. By do surveys to obtain information from 60 guitar players, there are three suggestions for each company depending on the surveys result which is shown below. 4.1.1. Recommendations for Gibson There are three recommendations for Gibson. First of all, it is applicable to manufacture guitars into dissimilar shapes and colors. The changeless shape and boring colors cannot satisfy today consumers. Additionally, it is practicable to make an effort to produce other musical instruments. Whats important should be done is to make more lower-level product for most Chinese are not wealthy enough hoping to buy their first guitars of good quality. Although there is Epiphone as the subsidiary company producing elementary product for novices, customers still hope to buy Gibson rather than Epiphone. (Reasons for refuse to buy Gibson products) 4.1.2. Recommendations for Fender There are three suggestions are provided to Fender. One method is to make products which can be not only high quality, but also unusual and special catching buyers eyes to gain more market share from competitors. What is more, Fender should focus on Chinese market by selling its merchandise to more retailers so that consumers can buy Fender products easily. Marking lower-level products as cash cows with affordable price to segment consumers who are interested in guitar but have not enough money is an acceptable strategy to improve sales volumes as well. (Reasons for refuse to buy Fender products) 4.2. Summary To sum up, both Gibson and Fender are immensely successful. The most essential factor for Gibson to achieve the success is to concentrates on electric guitar and making Les Paul and SG becoming world-wide triumphant. For Fender, the most momentous reason should be a broad enough market for with generally higher quality and public relation than its competitors. Other factors causing success, such as product endorsement, are notable too. It is firmly believed that as Chinese market becomes increasingly important, Gibson and Fender may find more methods to take on this market.

Example Creative Project Analysis as Film Studies Essay

In my storyboard I started with normal diegetic sound to create the normal, realistic atmosphere of sounds such as gates creaking and the wind blowing. This is so the audience is aware of the surroundings, considering no establishing shot was used prior to this to show the setting also generates a dark and mysterious atmosphere to begin with, leaving it to the audience’s imagination to guess what is going to happen as no hints to the genre have even been made yet. Then we have non-diegetic sound as music influenced by the beat from Jaws starts to play. This makes the audience feel uneasy and unusual as they realise something bad may happen because of the sinister music. I was conscious of the significant use of music to create atmosphere within the horror genre and therefore wanted the soundtrack to emphasise the tension on screen. The music gets louder and louder as the attacker gets closer to the victim to emphasise the fact that there is danger ahead and something bad is clearly about to happen. The music stops just before the murder as the girl screams as it is inevitable now that the girl is going to die, it builds up tension more and pulls you into a false sense of security. At the end the only sound we hear is the diegetic sound of the attacker laughing, this is so all the focus is on her and shows she has no guilt over what she has done, leaving the audience wondering about the character so it keeps it interesting and intriguing for them to watch. Costume is used in this storyboard to show normalcy. The attacker is dressed like a normal teenage girl so the audience can somehow relate to her as well as the other character and to suggest she is just another typical modern girl, which is why it is a shock to the audience when she kills the other girl and impacts so greatly. The killer in this film is also a female because they are usually seen to be damsels in distress that need saving so you’d never expect her to kill someone, which is another way I have attempted to make the film be original and shock the audience. Women serial killers may not be as strong as a male would be but they have a bigger impact on the victims and on the audience watching, the influence for this idea comes from films such as Friday The 13th, Audition and Phenomena. The props in this storyboard are also significant, especially the use of the knife in the picture when the attacker is at the door. The use of the knife is taken from the 1996 slasher/horror film scream which greatly influenced the film and how the killing took place, this is to help when marketing to a specific target audience and so the audience can have something to compare the film too without it being too over-predictable. In picture 10, the girl is being killed and has a teddy bear in her hand; this is to imply she is young, innocent and vulnerable and also shows that she is just a normal child in the comfort of her own home and was not expecting anything like that to happen, which is an effective contrast to when she is being stabbed. The lighting used was very dim and minimal throughout as it was shot at night so the killer could hide in the shadows effectively to make her seem mysterious at first and to make the audience wonder about her. This is to play on the audience’s natural fear of the dark and shadows, which is a usual characteristic of the genre and is seen in many other horror films. The main camera shots used where over the shoulder shots and point of view shots from the killer itself, this is so the audience can actually identify with the killer and the audience will drive pleasure from the actions of the killer because if the audience is there to see a horror film they expect there to be deaths and blood as it is typical of the genre itself to play on natural human fears. During the attack there is rapid use of camera movement such as a zoom used to intensify the stabbing action and to put it in clear perspective for the audience. The extreme close up at the end is also used to emphasise on the psychotic glare of the killer as she laughs and is meant to unnerve the audience. In my creative sequence I wanted to use micro features in keeping with the horror genre in order to create audience response. My choice of sound, mise en scene and cinematography was done so to maximise the effect of my chosen scene and to effectively make a different type of horror film with an addition of originality and an addition of normal generic conventions, overall I think it was successful.

An insight into Zara as a Born Global Essay

Zara was first established just outside of Spain in1988, in 1994 Zara expanded into France and Mexico (Bhardwaj et al, 2010). Zara is owned by the INIDEX group in which it contributes to 64.8 per cent of total company sales (Inidex annual report, 2011) which was a 10 per cent growth on the previous fiscal year. Zara now has over 1830 stores worldwide across 82 markets in 64 countries, with plans to move into Korea, Egypt, Ukraine and Montenegro and a further 80 store to open in Russia. This research paper identifies Zara as a born-global company and a global leader in fast fashion by firstly differentiating between a born global and gradual global company. Secondly we investigate three main internationalisation theories which will help us gain greater understanding into the success of Zara and finally importance in which the marco-environmental factors and marketing mix play in creating a company which is unique, controlled and adaptable to new markets. Zara as a born global Understanding the difference between a gradual-global versus a born global fashion retailer is key to identifying Zara as a born global. Traditionally, firms gain knowledge over time about the marco-environmental factors and the level of investment in which they should commit to (Galvan-Sanchez, et al., 2010). Examples of companies that use the ‘gradual global process’ include Mark & Spencer and the GAP. Born-global’s, according to Bhardwaj et al, 2010 focus on early and rapid internationalization. Therefore we identify that the difference between a born global and a gradual global lies in the international process and three main theories; knowledge-sharing and entry mode, resource based, and physic distance. Let’s look at these internationalisation theories in more detail by first identify the difference between a born global and a gradual global approach. A Born global is assertive and perceives the world as one market place with utilising the local market as the core of the internationalisation process (Bhardwaj et al, 2010) whereas gradual global firms believe that domestic market is the core support and aversion and lack of knowledge results in slow learning process. Born-global maintain long-term relationships with intermediaries, are fully integrated and consider the marketplace as  homogenous whereas gradual global are partially integrated and consider the marketplace as heterogeneous (Basu, et al., 2011).. Lastly a born-global believes psychic distance is irrelevant in the internationalisation process whereas gradual global assume that the firms entry into a new market is a function of psychic distance from prior experience (Bhardwaj et al, 2010). Knowledge sharing and entry mode Knowledge sharing is the flow of information sharing within a company and is consider a major competitive advantage (Basu, et al., 2011). When a company expands into a foreign market forward knowledge flow is important (Galvan-Sanchez ,et al., 2010) as managerial experience and business structure can be communicated to newer stores from head-office. More importantly to this report lateral knowledge flow commutates vital marco-environmental information from the foreign market location back to headquarters for example Zara has three stores in Dubai in which they sell clothes predominately covering the shoulders and offer more conservative style to respect local culture (Bhardwaj et al, 2010). Communicating and integrating culture which include shared values and norms is vital in the strategy development process (Galvan-Sanchez, et al., 2010). According to Indiex 2011 annual report environmental factors also play a vital part in the success of their line limnetic difference with the stores located in the Northern Hemisphere, Zara has a team of designers who create specific fashion proposals for women, men and children. The latest trends are thus reflected in garments and textiles that are suitable for both hemispheres, in options which are continually renewed. Knowledge sharing is also crucial in selecting the appropriate entry mode into a new market which includes licensing, joint venture/subsidiaries to name a few (Bhardwaj et al, 2010). Zara is identified as selecting a licensing entry mode into new market which lowers risk on investment but increases communication and management overtime. Resource based theory Resource based theory is focused on asset exploiting foreign investment and suggests that ownership-specific advantages provide Zara with a resource based framework which is valuable, rare, imperfectly imitable and not substitutable (Bhardwaj et al., 2011). Zara is a vertically integrated  company and is not hierarchal which helps create pseudo-backward integration (Basu, et al. 2011). Zara’s success also comes from training and employing local workers in new stores which provides relevant feedback and creates job growth (Rennie, 1993) which in turn can provide valuable information for future marketing strategy and promotion (Galvan-Sanchez, et al., 2010). The Zara brand is also known for being up-to-the-minute and affordable due to its highly developed technological communication which feeds POS and store information directly back to headquarters to be analysed (Inidex annual report, 2011) and adjusted to ensure succession in the local market which ensures that price, place ment, product and type of promotion are remaining relevant and unique in the local market. These advantages have created strong positive response from foreign markets making its resource-based advantages and high-control strategy difficult to replicate (Bhardwaj et al., 2011). Psychic distance This theory deals with the relationship between the differing cultures in which a company deals with and is important in the understanding of the effects that the marco-environment have on the marketing mix. The key to Zara’s acceleration into foreign markets lies in competing in niche markets, which are flexible and move fast (Rennie, 1993) and is successful due to its knowledge gathering and sharing strategies implemented at the store level (Bhardwaj et al., 2011) in each market it enters. Understanding and respecting local political and legal powers, for example local taxes and governing powers that can effect price and product helps align the companies goals and objectives with the localised market without causing conflict of interest (Galvan-Sanchez, et al., 2010). Conclusion In conclusion, this article identifies Zara as a born global retailer which demonstrates that the companies knowledge sharing capability, unique strategy, high-risk, high-reward model based on its unique resource based advantages and psychic distance is paramount to the success of its internationalisation expansion and becoming a global leader in fast fashion. Reference List Basu, C., Cavusgil, E, Kim D., & Naidu G.M., 2011. ‘The innovativeness of Born-Globals and customer orientation: Learning from Indian Born-Globals,’ Journal of Business Research, 21/3, 879-886. Bhardwaj, V., Eickman, M., & Runyan R, C., 2010. ‘A Case study on the internationalisation process of a ‘born-global- fashion retailer: Zara,’ The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, 21/3, 293-307. Galvan-Sanchez, I., Riaph-Criado, A., & Suarez-Ortega S.A., 2010. ‘A configuration-holistic approach to born-global firms strategy formation process,’ European Management Journal, 28, 108-123. Inidex. 2013. Annual Report 2011. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.inditex.com/en/shareholders_and_investors/investor_relations/annual_reports. [Accessed 10 April 13]. Rennie, M.W, 1993. ‘Born Global,’ The McKinsey Quarterly, 4, 45-52.

Nicholas Copernicus The Father Of Modern Science

Galileo Galilei, the most renowned scientist of the Renaissance period, or the â€Å"father of modern science† was known as a jack-of-all-trades: he was an astronomer, physicist, engineer, philosopher, and mathematician just to name a few. But perhaps what he is most known for is spurring the scientific revolution in the late seventeenth century. Galileo challenged what was then considered common knowledge for almost 30 years: for example, the idea of a heliocentric universe. The most controversial of these ideas was embracing the theories of Nicholas Copernicus. Not only did he embrace Copernicus’ ideas, but expanded and substantiated them. The consequences of these actions were multiple trials with the Church regarding his work and later†¦show more content†¦Even when he was a young boy in Pisa, Italy, Galileo showed signs of genius, but he also showed signs of being a rebel. A rebellious spirit would get him in a lot of trouble later on in his life. 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